The Bat's Out of the Bag
by epicfanspasms
Summary: A Halloween fic! Adrien finds himself in an unfortunate situation where his identity could be revealed at any second. His father has forced him to accompany Chloé to her Halloween party and she's decided to make him the Chat Noir to her Ladybug. He has to cope with an akuma attack, several identity reveals, a crying classmate, and Plagg being Plagg.


Adrien was enjoying a rare free Tuesday afternoon just clicking around the Ladyblog and pining after his partner when his world came crashing down around him.

It started with a simple knock on his bedroom door, nothing out of the ordinary. He figured it was Natalie coming to give him tomorrow's schedule, so he hollered a quick, "Come in!"

He knew his afternoon was about to take a dark turn when instead of Natalie's shiny black pumps, his father's expensive Italian loafers thumped towards him. Adrien closed the computer window quickly, jumping out of his seat hurriedly to greet the man.

"Father," he murmured stiffly as he stood as tall as he could. "Did you need something?"

His father clasped his hands together in front of him, face shifting to produce an even sterner frown than normal. Adrien gulped as the man opened his mouth to speak. "As you know, Adrien, this week Chloé is having her annual Halloween party."

Adrien did know, and had been steadily avoiding the topic since the invitation had arrived a month ago. He held his breath, dreading the next words out of his father's mouth.

"I have cleared your schedule for the event, as Mayor Bourgeois has requested that you attend the party as Chloé's escort in matching costume."

Adrien gaped at his father. "I-I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Mr. Agreste raised an eyebrow. "You will be attending Chloé Bourgeois' Halloween party this Friday evening, and you will be going in a costume of her choice as her escort." His tone informed Adrien that attempting to fight him would result in dangerous consequences, so the boy squashed down his protests and simply nodded silently. "Very good. I expect you will be hearing from her soon."

Adrien's heart sank as his father turned on his heel and exited swiftly, the door clicking shut behind him. He turned towards his bed and flopped face-down onto the comforter with a groan.

A sigh emanated from above him, and a small, annoyed voice muttered, "Ever the drama king."

The boy rolled over, letting his arms and legs flop out until he lay spread-eagled on his back. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Plagg, you don't get it."

The tiny cat settled on Adrien's forehead, peering down into his eyes. "Oh, I get it. That Chloé girl is extremely irritating." He cackled. "Just your bad luck."

Adrien swung an arm up and brushed the kwami off of him, muttering, "And whose fault is that?"

His phone began to ring from atop his desk and he slowly slid off the bed and onto the carpet, inching across the floor before reaching out and tapping around on the table until he felt the device. Grabbing it, he checked the caller ID and let out another groan as the name Chloé Bourgeois blinked back at him.

As he reluctantly accepted the call, he hoped his luck would change and Friday would never come.

It was the last class on Friday, and though usually Marinette was extremely excited for the prospect of a late night spent sewing followed by sleeping in the next day, today she was frustrated. Chat Noir had told her at last night's patrol that he absolutely couldn't make it tonight because of a family affair. On top of that, her class was buzzing with excitement about the Halloween party that Chloé was throwing in just a few hours. Marinette was the only person who hadn't been invited, and even though she tried to act indifferent since she couldn't have attended anyways, she couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of hurt at being excluded.

She sighed, unknowingly covering the exhalation of the equally dismayed boy in front of her as she did.

I can't believe it's Friday, Adrien moaned to himself with another sigh. He dreaded the bell that would signal the end of class—which was only moments away—and the beginning of his after-school, father-mandated meeting with Chloé.

It's not like he hated her. He, in fact, still appreciated her friendship, although slightly less of late as he became aware of some of her less desirable behaviors towards their other classmates. It's just that Chloé…was Chloé. She could be bossy and possessive, and Adrien figured she meant no harm, but being around her for an extended period of time could be draining. Not exactly the ideal Friday night. especially since it meant missing out on time with Ladybug.

At least Nino would be at the party, too. He and Alya were doing some sort of couple costume, although they wouldn't reveal the details. Adrien figured that, knowing Alya, it had something to do with Ladybug and Chat Noir. He wasn't sure what Marinette would be going as, but regardless, the thought of being able to hang out with the three of them was the only thing that had kept him going all week.

The bell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he gathered his materials and began placing them in his bag, he was interrupted by a squealing girl attaching herself to his arm.

"Adrikins! Hurry up, Daddy already sent the car to get us. We need to go so we have enough time to have the tailor fit your costume." She smiled in what Adrien assumed was supposed to be a seductive manner. "We need to make sure it's skin tight."

Adrien held back a shudder and forced a smile to his face. "Of course, Chloé. If you could just let me go for a moment, I'll finish getting ready."

Reluctantly, she did as he asked, whipping her compact out to check her hair as she waited for him to gather the last of his things. He took as much time as he reasonably could, knowing he was only putting off the inevitable. When there was finally nothing left he could stall with, he sighed and stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Okay, Chloé, I'm ready."

The girl latched onto his arm once again, and he winced as her nails dug into his skin. "You'll love your costume," Chloé purred as she led him out the door and towards the stairs. "I think it will suit you wonderfully."

They arrived at the car, the driver dashing around to open the door for them. Ever the gentleman, Adrien allowed Chloé to climb in first, before tucking his lanky frame in next to her. He stared longingly out the window as the car began to move away, face transforming into a pout as he caught sight of Nino, Alya, and Marinette all walking down the stairs together, laughing and talking. He wanted to be anywhere but here.

Unfortunately, he couldn't go against his father's commands, so soon enough he was clambering out of the car and heading to the elevator of the Bourgeois' hotel. Chloé talked his ear off for the whole trip, her topics of conversation ranging anywhere from the night's party to "Oh my god, did you see what she was wearing today?"

Although petty gossip didn't interest him—in fact Adrien preferred not to discuss others behind their backs—he knew from experience that the night would be much less painful if he simply played along, so for the majority of the time he simply nodded wordlessly, pretending as though he agreed with whatever she was chattering about.

Finally, they stepped off of the elevator and headed into Chloé's room, where the promised tailor was waiting for their arrival. Chloé practically bounced with excitement as she instructed the man, "Go and get Adrien's costume."

The gentleman headed to the closet and removed a black garment bag that had been hanging inside. He brought it towards the teens, holding onto the hanger as he unzipped it and removed the contents.

Adrien gaped as the costume came into view, blinking rapidly in the hopes that he was hallucinating. His eyes scanned slowly up the black leather, taking in the belt-like tail that dangled in the back, as well as the large golden bell that hung from the high neck of the outfit. The tailor set the costume over the back of a chair, reaching back into the bag to extract a pair of steel-tipped boots and a set of black cat ears with clips at the base.

"C-Chloé," Adrien stammered. "You can't be serious."

She latched herself back onto his arm with a pout. "Of course I am, Adri-honey. I need a Chat Noir to accompany my Ladybug tonight."

He near choked on his tongue. "Y-y-you're going as Ladybug?" He probably shouldn't have been surprised, considering how much of a Ladybug fan Chloé was. She was almost at his level of adoration for Paris' heroine.

"Of course!" She tittered, flicking her ponytail with a toss of her head. "Can you think of anyone who would make a better Ladybug?"

Gee, I don't know, maybe the real one? Adrien whimpered slightly. Please save me, my lady. Wearing this costume to a party seems like a reveal disaster waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, he and Ladybug had not developed the ability to read each other's minds, so there was no yoyo crashing through the window to sweep him away. He was stuck with this fate, and he would just have to make the best of the situation. Adrien decided he'd just try to act as unlike Chat Noir as possible and hope he could fool people.

"What are you waiting for? Try it on, Adrien!" Chloé insisted, settling herself on the edge of her bed.

The boy sighed, gently lifting the costume off the chair by its hanger and grabbing the accessories from their place on the seat. "Okay. I'll be right back." He headed towards the bathroom, locking himself in before hanging the outfit up and staring hopelessly at it. With another reluctant sigh, he kicked off his shoes and socks and began to disrobe, carefully folding his shirts and jeans and setting them on the counter.

When he was left in only his underwear, Adrien began tugging the leather up his legs. He got to the tops of his thighs before he realized there was a problem.

Plagg zoomed over, snickering as his charge struggled to get the tight pants back down his legs. "You look ridiculous."

"Shut up," Adrien muttered murderously. "I didn't realize I'd have to be totally naked for this to work."

"Well, duh." Plagg snorted. "Did you think that when you transform you get to keep your underwear under your suit?"

Adrien froze in shock. "I-It never occurred to me to wonder about it." He groaned, raking a hand through his hair and mussing it. "Great, thanks, Plagg. Now I'm going to be super self conscious every time I'm transformed."

The tiny cat flicked his tail in satisfaction, a grin covering his little face as he floated back to Adrien's pile of clothes and settled in comfortably. "Happy to help."

Adrien finally got the cat suit off and left it on the floor. He slid his underwear down his legs, tossing it on top of his annoying kwami before picking his costume back up and tugging it on again.

Five minutes later, he had finally managed to get the suit on and zipped up and was busy clipping his cat ears into place. He carefully arranged his hair into his normal Adrien style in an attempt to keep his looks as far from his appearance as Chat as possible. After another moment of fidgeting with the outfit, he pulled his boots on and gathered his clothes, carefully tucking his underwear out of sight in between the layers of his shirts.

Plagg zipped around him, looking for a place to hide on his person and finding none. "Well now what am I supposed to do?" he whined.

Adrien was stumped. He was uncomfortable with the thought of going to the party without his kwami, especially considering that the hostess had caused half of the akumas to date, but he really didn't seem to have a choice. His costume left nothing to the imagination, and it had no pockets that Plagg could snuggle up in.

"I guess you'll have to stay in my bag," Adrien decided reluctantly. "We'll just have to hope that there's no trouble tonight."

Plagg sniffed as he began to burrow into the clothes the boy held. "Fine, but you'd better leave me some cheese."

Adrien promised there was already some waiting, and, once Plagg was properly hidden, he exited the bathroom and made his way back to where Chloé was waiting. After placing his clothes next to his school bag, he cleared his throat, pulling her attention up from her phone.

"Adrikins, you look fantastic!" The girl leaped off the bed, discarding her phone on the comforter carelessly as she dashed over to examine him more closely. "And it fits perfectly already. All you need now is the mask."

Adrien gulped as Chloé retrieved the item, knowing that when he placed the mask on it would be the moment of truth. His identity could be revealed in seconds and he had no idea what to do if that happened. He accepted it from her reluctantly, slowly lifting it to his face and using the hidden clips to secure it in place in his hair.

Chloé lifted her hands to her mouth in shock as he blinked his emerald eyes at her, and he twitched nervously. "How do I look?" he forced out, trying to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Amazing! You two are almost identical." Chloé reached up and messed with his carefully placed hair, attempting to mimic Chat Noir's usual style. Satisfied with the effect, she removed her hand, clasping it to her chest as she exclaimed, "Perfect! You could be twins."

Adrien's heart was rocketing in his chest as he waited for her to realize that he was actually Chat, but the moment never came. The girl just continued to drone on about how handsome he was and how he could give Chat Noir a run for his money, never actually touching on how Chat and Adrien were really the same person. After a few minutes of this, Adrien exhaled in relief, realizing that, against all odds, his secret was safe, at least for now.

"Oh!" Chloé interrupted his thoughts with her sudden exclamation. "I have one more surprise for you." She rummaged through the bottom of the garment bag, shooing off the tailor as he tried to assist her. Finally, she seemed to find what she was looking for, and she turned back to Adrien. "I had Daddy find someone to make this especially for you, Adrikins. It's one of a kind, very similar to the original."

Adrien put on his best happily surprised face. "Wow, this is so cool!" he exclaimed as he accepted the replica of Chat Noir's baton from the girl.

Honestly, he should've been an actor instead of a model.

Tentatively, the boy pressed a button on the side of the metal stick, surprised when it extended until it was as tall as he was. Even though the weight and balance were all wrong, he had to admit that he was impressed with the design. He gave it an experimental swing, "accidentally" smacking Chloé's bed frame with the staff.

"Oops." He blinked innocently. "I'm sorry, Chloé. I don't know how Chat Noir can handle something like this so well. I think it'd be rather difficult to use, he must be a pretty amazing guy."

"But not as amazing as you," Chloé reassured him, stroking his arm. "I'm sure with practice you could handle it easily as well."

Adrien pressed the button again, calling the baton back into its smaller form and resisting his instinct to place it in the holder on the back of his suit for fear of seeming too familiar. "Maybe, but I think I'll leave it to him." He clumsily patted around the seat of his suit, acting surprised when he found the strap Chloé had included to hold the staff on. He slid it in carefully, making sure to fumble appropriately and hoping he wasn't overdoing it.

"I should get dressed as well!" Chloé turned to the closet, quickly retrieving her Ladybug costume and almost running into the tailor again as he tried to assist her. She brushed him off. "Oh, and you can leave, Monsieur Armand."

"It's Arnette," the man muttered as he gathered his bag and exited the room. Chloé pretended not to hear him as she headed towards the bathroom.

Adrien settled into a chair near the window, gazing out at the city and wondering what his lady was doing at that moment. Was she getting ready for a party too? Or perhaps she was working on her costume for trick-or-treating this weekend—she had let slip in the past that she was an aspiring designer, which Adrien thought was very impressive. Then again, he would probably think anything his lady did was amazing.

His thoughts were interrupted by the echo of footsteps on the wooden floor, and he turned around to see Chloé enter the room, striking a heroic pose. "What do you think, Adri-honey?"

"You look great." Adrien smiled pleasantly, hoping the comment was enough to pacify her for the evening.

"I really do, don't I?" Chloé snatched her yoyo off her waist, opening it to reveal that it doubled as a compact mirror. She checked her reflection, making a slight adjustment to her mask before snapping the yoyo shut and replacing it at her hip. Grabbing her phone from where it still lay on the bed, she quickly checked the time before setting it on the nightstand. "We'd better get downstairs. The party is starting without us." The girl rushed over to Adrien, tugging him out of his seat and towards the door.

Adrien followed obediently, heart pounding as he left his kwami behind. He was certain this whole thing was a horrible idea, but he couldn't argue with it. If he did, his father would probably stop allowing him to go to school, or something equally devastating.

The elevator dinged as they touched down on the floor where the party was taking place, music audible even before the doors opened. The pumping bass grew only louder when they stepped out of the elevator and onto the fog-covered floor. Adrien took in the spooky decorations and strobe lights that flashed everywhere, watching as waitstaff dressed as past akumas wearing black bowties and long aprons walked around with trays of snacks. Standing on his tip-toes, he searched the crowd of costumed partygoers in the dim room for his friends.

He didn't get a chance to find them before Chloé began parading him around the room, insisting that he needed to accompany her to greet her guests. She made polite small talk with everyone she encountered, whispering the occasional nasty comment about so-and-so's outfit to Adrien as they completed their circuit around the perimeter.

Finally, as Chloé was chatting with Alix—who had dressed as a horse jockey, with Kim present as her steed—Adrien managed to catch sight of Alya's telltale mole peeking out from behind…well, this was awkward.

Headed towards him was another Ladybug and Chat Noir pair, though it was obvious to him that Alya and Nino were the ones behind the masks. The duo came to a stop in front of him and Chloé, each teen analyzing the others' costumes.

"Wow, you guys look great!" Nino exclaimed, clapping Adrien on the shoulder. "You make a much better Chat Noir than me, bro."

Adrien chuckled along with him uncomfortably. "Yeah, I never realized, but I suppose we do look a bit similar." He shifted nervously under Alya's steely gaze, hoping that he would be able to fool the sharp reporter.

"It is an impressive resemblance…" Alya stroked her chin in consideration, causing Adrien to panic for a moment before she broke into a devious smile, elbowing Nino gently in the ribs. "But, as if our sweet Adrien could ever be the cocky and flirtatious Chat Noir."

Adrien breathed a silent sigh of relief at the narrow escape. This night was surely going to take ten years off of his life. Good thing I have nine of them, then, he joked wryly in his head.

Taking another glance at his friends, he suddenly realized something was missing. "Hey, where's Marinette? I was looking forward to seeing her costume."

Nino and Alya exchanged uncertain glances, before they both looked expectantly at Chloé. There was a moment of silence as Chloé pretended to examine her gloved nails, pointedly avoiding their eyes. Adrien's head flicked between them, jade eyes darting back and forth between his friends in confusion.

Alya crossed her arms impatiently, gaze turning darker, and finally Chloé sighed. "Okay, fine. I didn't invite Marinette, all right?"

"What?" Adrien was shocked. He knew that Chloé wasn't exactly his friend's biggest fan, but to exclude her from a party that literally everyone else was welcomed to was evil, even for Chloé. "Why not?"

Chloé sniffed, placing her hands on her hips. "She always has to be the center of attention, and that takes away from me." She moved closer to her companion, wrapping her arms around one of his. "And besides, she's always getting in the way of us, Adrikins. I thought we'd have more fun if she wasn't here."

Disgusted by the revelation, Adrien slid his arm out of her grasp as he tried to maintain his calm demeanor. "That's not cool, Chloé, and it's entirely untrue. Marinette has never gone out of her way to harm you, so I don't know why you're so focused on hurting her." He crossed his arms defensively as his anger bubbled over and he lost the ability to filter his words. "And there is no usfor her to get in the way of. There never has been, and there never will be."

The three teens around him gaped in shock at his outburst. While Alya and Nino were impressed that their polite friend had finally found his moxie, Chloé was enraged. She shrieked, turning on her heel and stomping off, shoving people out of her way as she yelled at anyone who got in her face.

Adrien was still breathing heavily, both exhilarated and terrified by the fury he had felt while defending his friend, when Nino clapped him on the back. "That was awesome dude!"

He sighed. "Thanks, I guess. But why didn't anyone tell me about what Chloé did to Mari?"

Alya smiled sadly. "You know our girl. When we offered to protest the party, she told us to come have fun with you since you were being forced to come. She said she had some stuff to take care of anyways so we shouldn't worry about it."

Adrien sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck with a gloved hand. Of course Marinette would say that. She was the nicest person Adrien had ever met, and even though they weren't terribly close friends, it was just like her to insist that Alya and Nino come keep him company instead of hanging out with her. He ground his teeth in frustration, wishing he weren't stuck in this stupid situation as he cursed himself for losing his cool with Chloé. He would certainly get a lecture about this from his father.

The screams that erupted from the other end of the room told him that his impending punishment was definitely something to worry about later. He spun around, eyes searching the room for the akuma he was certain he had just indirectly caused, finding it within seconds.

When his gaze landed on the akuma, he had to do a double take to make sure that Alya was still standing behind him, because the woman who was standing on the snack table across the room bore an eerily striking resemblance to Lady Wi-Fi. Clad in a mostly black suit that covered her from the neck down, the woman wore the expected black butterfly mask over her dark eyes, which were offset by slightly wavy reddish brown hair reaching just past her shoulders. Taking a closer look, Adrien realized that her costume was actually quite different from Lady Wi-Fi's, but since it had the same color scheme it had tricked him at first glance. This akuma had solid white gloves that went up to her shoulders and white and black mid-calf boots that resembled a pair of spats. Her neck was adorned by a white bowtie, and were those…curved forks on her chest making up the wifi symbol?

A metal tray appeared in the akuma's hand and she shouted, "I am Lady In Waiting, and you're all about to get served!"

As the crowd screamed and ran away, Adrien chuckled at the pun, which, given the circumstances, was probably the wrong reaction. He had realized with her announcement that she was one of the akuma-costumed waitstaff he had noticed before, and anticipated this to be a delightfully pun-filled battle.

Battle. Oh no.

Adrien panicked as he remembered that Plagg was upstairs in Chloé's room and therefore he had no way to transform from an expensive duplicate of Chat Noir into the real deal. He turned to dash towards the elevators so he could sneak upstairs and grab his kwami, but they were already overflowing with panicked guests. Alya and Nino weren't among them, that he could see, which worried him. Knowing Alya, she was hanging around, trying to find the best angle to shoot the battle from. Hopefully Nino would at least be able to corral her to a relatively safe hiding spot, because Adrien had no way to protect them at this point.

Okay, Plan B, he thought, determined to find a way to distract the akuma from the guests until Ladybug got there or they all managed to escape, whichever came first. He jumped into a defensive position, grabbing his baton from behind him and extending it as he wracked his brain for a good opening line.

"Chat, duck!"

Well, I was actually thinking of something more along the lines of "Prepare to have your last meal!" but I guess— Adrien's train of thought was cut off as he was tackled to the floor by a small figure, a silver tray whizzing right above their heads and slamming into the wall behind them.

"Are you crazy?!" Ladybug shouted from on top of him. "What were you thinking, just standing there and letting her attack you?"

He was not about to admit he had been weighing his pun options, but he was blanking on an excuse. Thankfully, his partner didn't really seem interested in his answer as she hopped off of him and grabbed her yoyo from her waist, spinning it as she tried to think of a plan.

Adrien shoved himself up off the floor, wondering what the best course of action was in this situation. He was in a non-magical replica of his suit and had a sub-par weapon, not to mention he was stuck without the ability to use cataclysm. As much as he wanted to just admit that he was a civilian, he was too afraid Ladybug would figure out his identity. Besides, he couldn't just leave her to fight on her own. He'd kill himself if something happened to her.

That settled it. He stooped over and grabbed his staff off of the ground, holding it as he would a fencing foil and figuring that was the closest he would get to a good defense today. Sidling up next to Ladybug, he inquired, "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, until we figure out where the akuma is, I guess we're going to have to go with the old one-two."

Great. While being the distraction normally wouldn't be a problem, civilian-Adrien didn't have quite the athletic abilities that Chat-Adrien did. He was going to have to wing it.

He sprinted forward, thrusting his baton out in front of him to parry the attacks the villain shot at him. Metallic clangs echoed through the room as tray after tray bounced off the metal pole and hit the floor. Just as Adrien reached the base of the table Lady In Waiting was standing on, she launched herself into the air, swooping out of his reach.

Determined to do his best as a distraction, Adrien leaped onto the table, scattering trays of food in every direction as he thrust his staff upwards, jumping as he attempted to bat the girl out of the air. She easily evaded his attacks, responding by launching more trays his way, which he struggled to defend against with his free arm. In the background, he could hear Ladybug call for her lucky charm and prayed that the battle would be over soon, as he was really floundering.

"Chat, I've got it! Use your cataclysm on that chandelier!" Ladybug instructed, pointing at a spot in the middle of the room. He craned his neck to follow her finger, biting his lip when he saw the vertical distance he would have to cover to reach the fixture.

Not to mention he had no idea what he would do to break it if he even managed to get up there.

With a determined nod, he collapsed his baton and stashed it as he dashed away from the akuma, heading for the space directly under the chandelier. Glancing around, he noted the DJ's table was nearby and ran over to grab it, shoving the expensive equipment off while mentally crossing his fingers that Ladybug's magic would take care of the damage later. Quickly, he dragged the table to where he had been standing previously before dashing back over to retrieve the accompanying chair and stacking that on top. He carefully clambered onto his makeshift ladder, holding his arms out for balance. Assessing the height, he decided that he was close enough to reach the base of the chandelier if he jumped for it. Adrien sucked in a breath, counted to three, and launched himself as high as he could.

Miraculously, he managed to grab his target, and he quickly set about attempting to get on top of it—a difficult task while swinging haphazardly through the air. He adjusted his hands, then allowed himself to rock back and forth for a moment before using the momentum to swing his legs up and hook around the circular bar he was hanging from. Carefully, and trying not to think about the fact that the heavy mass could break and crash to the ground on top of him at any moment, he reached over the outside of the ring and grasped the main structure that connected to the ceiling. Using all of his strength, he somehow managed to pull himself over so that he was sitting on top of the chandelier and he paused to catch his breath, giving himself a mental pat on the back.

Getting back to work, he grabbed his baton from his waist, hesitating as he tried to figure out how exactly he was going to break the support bar without cataclysm. With a shrug, he set about to beating the straight metal bar as hard as possible with his shortened staff, putting as much of his weight behind each swing as he could without falling off.

Ladybug stopped her attempts at lassoing the akuma and stared up at him with a mixture of confusion and irritation. "Chat, what on Earth are you doing?!"

"My best!" he cried weakly, still hammering away.

His partner was about to retort, but the akuma rushed at her, drawing her attention away from Adrien. She wrestled with the woman, attempting to push her in the direction of the still-hanging chandelier. With a large shove, she got a few feet of distance between them and reached behind her to grab her lucky charm—an extendable boxing glove. Having no time to aim, she raised her hand in the general direction of the akuma's chest and squeezed her fist, causing the large glove to shoot out and punch her attacker with surprisingly great force. Lady In Waiting stumbled backwards in a daze, falling on her butt directly under the chandelier.

"Now would be nice, Chat!" Ladybug called desperately, hand reaching for her yoyo in case her partner couldn't complete his job in time.

He hadn't made enough progress by using the staff, and he needed a new plan if he wanted this to work. In desperation, Adrien returned his baton to its holder, gripping the metal bar that supported the chandelier with both hands. Holding his breath and praying for a miracle, he jumped with as much force as he could, landing hard on the circular part of the fixture. He was simultaneously exhilarated and terrified to hear a loud cracking noise and feel the world dropping out from under him.

There was no way to save himself, so he let go of the falling object and closed his eyes, hoping that the fifteen foot drop wouldn't hurt too badly. He was extremely relieved a moment later when he landed in someone's arms with a soft "Oomph!"

Cautiously, he opened his eyes, blinking up at his partner. "Thanks for the save, Bugaboo."

She did not look amused. "What the heck is up with you today, Chat?"

"We can talk about it later. You'd better de-akumatize her before she gets out of there." Grateful for the distraction, Adrien pointed at the woman sitting on the ground, arms trapped to her sides by the chandelier.

Ladybug set him down with a sigh, shooting him a glare that told him they would be discussing his behavior later. While she was doing her thing with the akuma, Adrien collapsed to the floor, finally letting his shaking legs get the best of him.

I can't believe I did all that. He honestly didn't know whether to be concerned or impressed with himself. I must be insane.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug tossed the boxing glove contraption up into the air and red magic flowed over everything, returning it to how it had been before the attack. The waitress who had been akumatized sat up, rubbing her head as she looked around in confusion.

Adrien stood and was about to go comfort her when he was attacked from behind. Confused, he craned his neck over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of tell-tale blonde that told him more trouble had arrived.

"Adrikins! You were so brave! I can't believe how amazing you were. You're even better than the real Chat Noir!" Chloé circled around to his front and stroked his cheek, their spat earlier apparently forgotten in the face of his bravery. "You aren't hurt anywhere, are you? I was so worried about you."

Ladybug stopped in her tracks, head whipping around until her steely gaze landed on him. "Adrikins, was it?" The heroine stalked towards him slowly, eyes not breaking away from his. "She's right. You should be more careful when playing hero. You could get hurt."

Gulp.

"I-I'm sorry, my l—Ladybug. I got caught up in the moment." Adrien bit his lip, certain his face was blazing red.

His partner kept a straight face, but her blue eyes were like icicles stabbing into him. "Right…" She paused, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing just slightly harder than necessary. "Well, I do hope I'll be seeing you again soon, and that we can discuss it more then."

Adrien lost his breath. It was over; there was no doubt in his mind that Ladybug knew who he was. In his shock he couldn't even muster the brain power to stammer out a goodbye as the girl flew out the window.

He turned towards Chloé, wanting to say a million things but unable to find the words. All he could do was gape silently as the guests began to flow back into the room.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder. "Wow, that was impressive, Adrien." Alya raised an eyebrow at him, making sure he knew that she knew his secret too.

Awesome job, Adrien, why don't you just hire a skywriter while you're out sharing your secret alter-ego with everyone? It would be much more efficient.

As the music began pumping through the speakers again, Nino sent him a wink that made him want to curl up into a ball on the floor. Was there anyone who hadn't figured things out from his attempt at battling Lady In Waiting?

"Honestly, Ladybug was being a little rude. I mean, she didn't even tell you what a great job you did! You should really be her partner instead of that other guy, you're so much more handsome after all."

Well, at least Chloé was still oblivious.

When he got home late that night, Adrien raced into his room, dropping his bag and collapsing onto his bed without even bothering to turn the lights on. Shoving his face into a pillow, he let out a muffled scream, finally getting to let out the frustration that had been building up all night. He kicked his feet as his voice trailed off, before finally rolling over and splaying out, taking a deep calming breath.

"Feel better?" A familiar voice asked from the foot of the bed.

Adrien bolted upright, heart pounding as he tumbled off the bed in surprise. After landing on the ground, he laid a hand over his chest, gasping. "Geez, Ladybug, you scared the heck out of me."

"Right. Sorry." Her short tone made it clear that she wasn't very apologetic at all.

Adrien gulped, slowly getting up off the ground. "I'm just going to turn on the lights. Why don't you tell me why the beloved heroine of Paris is making a house call tonight?" He kept his tone casual, hoping that he had imagined that she'd figured him out at the party. As he flicked the switch, he realized something. "Actually, how did you even get in my house to begin with?"

Ladybug perched delicately on the edge of his bed, crossing one slim leg over the other as she fiddled with the end of a pigtail. "I de-transformed in the garden and let Tikki go up to open a window for me."

Adrien took a seat in his desk chair, scooting so that he was a couple of feet in front of her. "Is Tikki your kwami?"

Oh, shoot.

"AHA!" Ladybug jumped off the bed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You are Chat Noir!"

He winced as she poked his nose. "N-no I'm not?"

"You don't sound too confident about that, Kitty."

Adrien sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm Chat."

Ladybug crossed her arms, tapping her foot in irritation as she started to scold him. "What were you thinking going around in an outfit like that? You could've been found out by anyone! I can't believe you would be so irresponsible. Our secret could've been revealed because of your carelessness!"

The boy tried to stay calm, but he couldn't take her unfair accusations. He snapped. "It's not like I had a choice! My father, the control freak, practically threatened me. If I hadn't done it, he might've pulled me out of school, and I'd never get to see my friends again!" Thrusting his own finger in Ladybug's face, he shouted, "You don't know me, and you don't have any idea what my life is like, so don't you dare criticize me for being forced into taking an unsafe option!"

Adrien took a shuddering breath, unclenching his fists and forcing himself to calm down. He was frustrated by everything, but Ladybug hadn't known the depth of the situation. Surely, she would've made the same choice in his place. He shouldn't have exploded like that.

He was about to apologize when a sniffle from the girl across from him snatched the words right out of his mouth. Ladybug wiped at her eyes with another delicate sniff and Adrien's heart cracked in two. He had made his lady, the love of his life, cry because he couldn't control himself for five minutes to talk things out.

He was the worst.

Adrien reached out. "Ladybug, I—"

"I understand," she said coldly, blinking up at the ceiling. "You're right. I don't know you, and I shouldn't pretend to. I'll just get out of your way."

"Bugaboo, hold on a—"

Setting her jaw, Ladybug whispered, "Goodbye, Adrien."

As she dashed away and leaped out the window, Adrien chased after her. "My lady!" She ignored him, swinging away on her yoyo.

Adrien didn't hesitate. "Plagg, claws out!" he cried, dashing out the window after his partner as soon as his transformation was complete.

He managed to catch sight of her fairly quickly, leaping over rooftops and heading towards the nearby park. He followed, racing as fast as he could and shouting hoarsely, trying to get her attention. She appeared not to hear him as she dashed towards a familiar balcony, one hand repeatedly wiping the tears from her face.

Ladybug touched down on the balcony over the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, collapsing into a heap on the waiting chaise as a pink light began to envelop her. Adrien continued to surge forward, so concentrated on his mission of catching the girl and apologizing that he neglected to realize what was happening. As he leapt onto the railing, the light began to fade and he suddenly came to his senses, skidding to a stop so fast he nearly fell off the building.

He blinked several times in shock, staring as the secret identity of Ladybug lay curled in a sobbing ball before him. Adrien extended a shaking hand, resting it on the girl's shoulder as he whispered hesitantly, "Marinette?"

The girl's body stiffened and she buried her face in her arms. "Go away, Chat. Adrien. Whatever." She hiccuped as a small red being flew up to sit on her head, patting her gently as it looked at Adrien with big, sad eyes.

He knelt next to the chair, moving his hand to stroke her silky hair gently as he released his transformation. "No way. Not now that I've found you." He saw Plagg float up, seemingly about to speak, and shot him the deadliest glare he could muster. Marinette's kwami—Tikki, he remembered—swooped over and grabbed Plagg by the hand, nodding at Adrien before tugging the small cat inside so the teens could have some privacy.

A sniffle sounded from the girl below. "I didn't want to be found."

The boy winced. "I'm sorry, but I had to apologize. I was frustrated by what happened today and I ended up taking it out on you, which was so wrong of me. I'm really sorry, Bugaboo, please forgive me."

"Fine, you're forgiven. Now leave me alone."

Adrien stiffened, feeling his gut twist at the acid in her voice. Hesitantly, he asked, "Why can't I stay with you?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not fair, Mari. Give me an actual reason."

Her head whipped around, revealing her flushed, tearstained cheeks and puffy eyes. "Fine! I'm a mess right now and I'm sure you're already disappointed enough by me and I don't want to make it worse, plus it's embarrassing to look like this in front of you, so I really don't want to be around you right now because it's completely mortifying!"

Marinette buried her face again and Adrien, who was at a loss for words for the moment, simply rubbed her back comfortingly. After a moment of silence, he finally got up the courage to ask, "Can I sit next to you?"

The girl sniffed, rubbing the final tears from her eyes as she rolled over onto her side, leaving enough space for Adrien to take a seat on the edge of the chaise next to her stomach. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder gently. "What did you mean by I'm already disappointed enough by you?"

Marinette stiffened, refusing to meet his eyes as she bit her lip. "It's stupid."

"Your concerns aren't stupid to me. If there's something you're worried about, I want to know about it." He rubbed circles on her shoulder with his thumb, prompting her to continue sharing.

"I just—" Marinette broke off, swallowing back a new round of tears. "You've always known me as the klutzy girl who trips over nothing and can't do anything right, not to mention I can't even talk to you as Adrien. How can that girl possibly compare to the amazing hero you loved?"

"Love," Adrien corrected firmly. "Just because I've met a different side of you now doesn't mean I don't still love Ladybug, it just means that there's more for me to love now."

The girl shook her head violently, sitting up so she was level with him. "No, you don't deserve to be stuck with someone like me for your partner when you're so perfect and—" She blinked in shock, mind rewinding what the boy had said a moment before. "Wait, what?"

"What's what?"

"What did you say before I just said that?"

"Oh." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I said that I still love Ladybug and there's just more of you to love now that I know you're Marinette, too."

Marienette bit her lip, shaking her head slowly. "No, that's not fair to you."

"It's not fair that I get to be in love with the most amazing, powerful, selfless girl in the world?" Adrien cocked his head. "I suppose you're right, because I definitely plan on keeping you to myself, which isn't fair to other guys. But I don't really care." He winked as he gave her shoulder another squeeze.

The girl sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"It's part of my charm."

She hummed in something that wasn't quite agreement, lifting her hand to cover his. She trailed a finger over his knuckles, tracing patterns into his skin as she asked, "How are you always so confident, even in a situation like this?"

Adrien's heart sank at the implication in the question. "I-I don't know. Was there a reason I shouldn't be?" All of the sudden, worries that mirrored Marinette's from the moment before cropped up in his mind, causing his stomach to twist into knots.

"Of course not, Kitty. I've just always been jealous of your unwavering bravado."

Adrien relaxed slightly. "Hey, even the bravest, most handsome guys like myself can get self-conscious sometimes." He had been aiming for a jovial tone, but his voice cracking at the end ruined the illusion and caused Marinette's gaze to snap away from his hand and up to his eyes.

Blue eyes bore into him and he felt as though he was being ripped open so that all of his thoughts and fears were displayed in neon lights. After a moment, Marinette's scrutinizing stare transformed into a look of concern.

"Adrien," she began in a low voice, her hand moving up to cup his cheek so that he couldn't avoid her eyes, "is a brave, handsome guy like you feeling self-conscious right now?"

"You called me handsome."

"Stop changing the subject." Marinette sighed, lowering her hand as she scooted on the chaise until she was sitting next to the boy, head resting gently on his shoulder. "I'll worry about you if you don't tell me what's on your mind, you know."

Adrien chuckled. "You've twisted my arm, Princess." He glanced up at the stars for a moment, lips pursed as he sought the right words, letting out a sigh before beginning to speak. "It's just that, well, I already know that you're not interested in me as Chat Noir, and Adrien is so uptight and boring that there's no way you'll like him either, so—"

"Don't say that!" Marinette interrupted loudly, immediately falling into a silent blush as Adrien turned to look at her in surprise. His expression quickly transformed into a sly grin which grew wider as Marinette's cheeks continued to darken.

"Oh?" he drawled, inching closer to her red face. "And why shouldn't I say that? Does someone disagree?"

Marinette managed to muster up a glare, though it wasn't nearly as intimidating with bright pink cheeks. "You're incorrigible."

Adrien repeated her own words back to her in a singsong voice. "Stop changing the subject." He poked her gently in the cheek. "You're holding out on me, my lady."

"Okay!" Marinette threw her hands up in exasperation. "You win. Yes, I've been head-over-heels in love with Adrien practically since we met! It's probably the only reason I didn't end up falling for Chat, too." The girl pulled her knees up, curling into a ball to hide her burning face. A muffled "Are you satisfied now?" rang out from between her thighs.

Adrien looped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Extremely, so, my lady."

They sat in silence for a moment before a sudden idea caused Adrien to blurt out an untimely, "Hey, we should go trick-or-treating in a couple's costume."

Marinette choked, her heart pounding so hard it felt as though it were trying to escape from her chest. She coughed repeatedly, trying to clear her airways before responding with a hoarse, "Uh, wouldn't we have to be a couple to do that?"

Adrien was the one to blush this time, reaching up to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Oh, y-yeah. I just kind of assumed…I mean, we both know we like each other already so I thought—"

Marinette smiled sweetly at him, feeling less embarrassed by the situation now that Adrien was the one babbling and stuttering. "Kitten, are you trying to ask meowt?"

Adrien blinked in surprise at the question, his mouth quickly blossoming into a grin. "My lady, was that a pun?"

"I suppose you must be rubbing off on me, Chaton."

"I don't think that's a bad thing at all." Adrien gently took his partner's hand, lifting it to his lips and gracing her knuckles with a delicate kiss. "And yes, I would be pawsitively ofurjoyed if you would allow me to whisker you away on a date."

Marinette rolled her eyes at his theatrics, but couldn't stop a giggle from breaking forth. "Well, with such a clever request—as horribly unfunny as it was—how can I say no?"

"Purrfect!"

Marinette huffed. "Okay, now you need to stop."

"Why, whatever do mew mean?"

"Adrien!"

The boy burst into laughter, leaping up off the chaise and calling for Plagg to transform him. He jumped onto the railing of Marinette's balcony, teasing over his shoulder, "If you want me to quit with the clawsome puns, you'll have to catch me!"

As Marinette darted over to him in the midst of her transformation, he rocketed off the balcony, dashing across the adjacent roof with his partner right on his tail, yelling threats the whole way. He laughed hysterically as he led her around the city, delighting in the chase and the successful revelation of their identities. Things could have turned out so badly, and they almost had, but miraculously he'd found that his lady loved him as much as he loved her, and Adrien knew that he'd never find a sweeter Halloween treat than that.


End file.
